The Flydubai FZ1073 incident is under investigation, but, shortly after it occurred, social media users flooded social media with claims that it was a “false flag” operation, as Israel’s election nears and attacks on Iran subside.
On 30 September, a Flydubai flight took off from Dubai towards Tel Aviv, but suffered a violent cockpit incident and landed at Tabuk International Airport, Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, all passengers reached home safely, and the pilot, too, was brought under control.
On October 3, the UAE’s account of the incident stated that a co-pilot attacked a captain with the aircraft’s crash axe, while earlier reports mentioned a knife attack. It is now clear that it was a crash axe, not a knife. The co-pilot who carried out the attack has been identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, which raises genuine security questions, especially as “Al-Hammami was removed from [Oman] flight training because of concerns over his radical views, and was given another role at Oman’s national airline,” and also raises questions about diplomatic relations between Oman and Israel, as “The Hindu” reports, “how the co-pilot was on the flight. … [while] Israel and Oman don’t have formal diplomatic relations”.
Due to his extremist views, the co-pilot was barred from flying by Oman. The Israeli Prime Minister, on 2 October, said that the co-pilot had gone under “Islamist radicalisation,” and “Israel received Flydubai crew list in advance,” raises question on why UAE-based airline Flydubai hired such person and why he was on board on a flight to Tel Aviv in the midst of the political turbulence in the Middle East? What security checks were performed before he was hired and boarded on the flight? Born in the UAE to a Syrian mother, he obtained Omani nationality, which raises another question: how did he acquire Omani nationality? Omani officials have yet to comment publicly on the incident.
Iran connection
There is a claim circulating that Iran is involved, but, at present, no reliable evidence has been found to establish a connection between Iran and the flydubai incident or between al-Hammami and Iran. The Israeli Prime Minister, when asked whether there was any indication, as of now, of Iran’s involvement, replied: “ too early to say.”
Timing alone is not evidence, but it deserves attention and scrutiny. Three days before the incident, on 27 September, Netanyahu, accompanied by the head of Israel’s National Security Council, the Mossad chief, his military secretary, and foreign-policy adviser, secretly visited Abu Dhabi and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. Israel said the meeting was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and addressing regional challenges, but Iran’s media reported something strikingly different. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister, on 29 September, publicly warned about possible attacks ahead of the country’s October election. The sequence is striking, as an anonymous source close to the UAE government told the Israeli daily YNET on Friday that “Israel is exploiting the attack for political purposes.”
Iran’s Press TV, citing a “well-informed regional source,” reported that the operation was discussed and finalised during Netanyahu’s secret visit to the United Arab Emirates. The objectives were to draw US President Donald Trump into another war against Iran and to influence Israel’s upcoming election.
Netanyahu, UAE, and the October 7 Question
According to Haaretz, an Israeli outlet, a report titled “Revealed: Netanyahu Received an Explicit Warning Days Before Oct. 7. He Didn’t Brief Israel’s Security Chiefs” revealed that “in September ’23, UAE President bin Zayed called Netanyahu to deliver a harsh warning. Netanyahu did nothing. An extensive investigation, conducted for a new book, reveals the PM’s failures surrounding Oct. 7.” Netanyahu, however, said that “this is an absolute lie.”
A separate report by “The Atlantic” revealed that “Egypt’s warning to Israel, … shortly before October 7 with a dire message about Gaza.” Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kemal personally met with Israeli officials and warned about a possible Hamas attack, saying that “the situation in Gaza was dire and could blow up in everyone’s faces,” but Israeli officials dismissed the warnings, telling Kemal that the situation was under control.
These reports raise serious questions about Netanyahu’s political survival, as he faces multiple criminal charges. His immediate response to the flydubai event was also to warn of additional threats rather than call for an investigation.
So, what do you think about Netanyahu’s intentions and the Flydubai incident amid the turbulence in the Middle East and the upcoming election in Israel?
